When you start cooking your own meals on a regular basis, you may start getting tired of repetitive tasks like chopping, dicing, and mincing. Food processors can save you time and energy by taking care of these tasks for you. It also has the added benefit of lowering the chance that you'll accidentally cut yourself by reducing the amount of chopping you do.

What Is a Food Processor?

A food processor is an electric appliance that uses rotating blades to facilitate repetitive tasks in the preparation of food. While similar to blenders, food processors use interchangeable blades in order to tackle a wider range of functions. With the right attachments, a food processor can make many tedious tasks easier, such as chopping, grinding or shredding, and even certain tasks that aren't possible by hand, such as pureeing.

Best 5 Food Processors

Cuisinart Prep 11 Plus DLC-2011CHB

Recommended by both Consumer Reports and Good Housekeeping, the Cuisinart Prep 11 performs great at all functions. According to tests run by Good Housekeeping, it handles even tricky jobs such as slicing tomatoes and shredding. Overall, it is quite simple to assemble and use; however, it does have a few quirks that some folks may find frustrating. Finally, if you don't have a dishwasher, it'll take some time to hand-clean all the tiny nooks and crevices in the machine. Currently $179.00 on Amazon.

Cuisinart DLC-10S Pro 7-Cup Food Processor

For those that are looking for a food processor that is a bit more inexpensive but still gets the job done, the Cuisinart DLC-10S Pro is the way to go. Users rave about its ease-of-use and its ability to chop, mince, and slice, although some caution that kneading dough too quickly can cause the motor and shaft to heat up. The work bowl clocks in at 7 cups, so keep in mind how much you need to chop and knead when purchasing. Currently $99.95 on Amazon.

Breville BFP800XL Sous Chef

Highly recommended by Consumer Reports and Good Housekeeping, the Breville Sous Chef food processor is for those who want a powerful machine that can handle any task with ease. A set of 8 included discs and blades allow for numerous options when cutting food, and a variable slicing disc with 24 slicing settings gives you great versatility in altering the thickness of your slices. On top of that, this package also includes specialty discs for julienning and whisking. Currently $399.95 on Amazon.

KitchenAid KHB2351CU Hand Blender

While not technically a food processor, immersion blenders can perform many of the same tasks as food processors without the need for a special vessel for processing. This KitchenAid immersion blender is great at blending and emulsifying. The whisk attachment allows it to whisk egg whites and cream with ease and the chopping attachment makes it great for chopping herbs, nuts and vegetables. Currently $59.99 on Amazon.

Breville BSB510XL Control Grip Immersion Blender

For those who want to kick it up a notch with their immersion blender, Consumer Reports recommends the Breville BSB510XL. People who plan on really putting their blenders to work will be happy to know that this Breville blender is powerful enough to crush ice and puree frozen fruit This immersion blender also comes with both a whisk and chopping attachment, giving it more versatility than other hand blenders. Currently $99.95 on Amazon.

These are our choices for the top 5 food processors. Don't forget to check out Wise Bread's Shopping Calendar to figure out how and when to buy just about everything!